New world record set for farthest hoverboard flight

Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandru Duru setting the world record on his self-built hoverboard prototype

A future in which we're all flying around on hoverboards may not have materialized just yet, but it does appear to be getting closer. After Hendo's magnetic hoverboard was announced last year, a new world record for the farthest hoverboard flight has now been set. And there wasn't a magnet in sight.

Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandru Duru traveled a distance of 275.9 m (905.2 ft) on a propeller-based hoverboard he created himself. The machine was reportedly designed and built over the course of 12 months.

"I wanted to showcase that a stable flight can be achieved on a hoverboard and a human could stand and control with their feet," Duru is quoted as saying to Guinness World Records, which has recognized the feat.

The record was set at Lake Ouareau in Quebec, Canada, on Aug. 25, 2014 (but has only just been announced by Guinness). To secure the Guinness World Record crown, Duru had to travel a distance of over 50 m (164 ft), which he ultimately achieved more than five times over. During the flight Duru reached heights of up to 5 m (16.4 ft), before eventually landing in the water.